Sunday, October 11, 2009

SMS: Apple Sticky Buns with Toasted Pecans

This is one of the recipes that I was considering when it was my turn to choose something for everyone to bake for Sweet Melissa Sundays. Given the disappointing result of my choice, I should have gone with the sticky buns... So, needless to say, I was excited when they popped up on our October calendar!

I really love sticky buns, though this was the first time I ever made them. Every time there is a choice in a recipe between cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, I choose the former. Frankly, my only reason is laziness, which is not a very good reason at all, so this time I decided to put in the extra effort in hopes that the result would be extra good! And it was.

I made a few changes to the recipe: I cut it in half and baked (most of) my rolls in an 8x8 baking dish. I got 13 altogether, and only 9 fit in the 8x8, so I put the others in a separate dish. I was glad that it turned out this way, because the 4 in the smaller dish were not baked as sticky buns, so I had a chance to compare the two. More on this later. I added an apple to my batter, because it is apple season, and what isn't made better by the addition of the sweet, tart fruit! Wherever there was sugar in the recipe, I used palm sugar. I used toasted pecans instead of almonds, because that's what I had.

The dough required A LOT of extra flour, but other than that, I had no issues with it. My house is not terribly warm - I haven't turned my heat on yet this Fall - so for each rise, I pre-heated the oven to about 150, then turned it off and popped my dough in.

My baking time was drastically different from the time in the recipe - my rolls were done in 25 minutes as opposed to 45-50 minutes.

The sauce for the sticky buns was so delicious, I actually ate a few spoonfuls of it by itself... The sticky buns were so wonderfully moist, not terribly sweet and just plain fantastic! However, after tasting the ones without the sticky sauce, I realized that it was only due to the sauce that they were so amazing. The plain ones were very dry and bland, even with the addition of the apples.

So, while the sauce and the sticky buns themselves were incredible, and I will certainly be baking them again, this is not a recipe that I would use if I wanted a cinnamon roll. If you want to see a delicious cinnamon roll here is one from Peter Reinhart, and here is a super quick version that you can make in an hour.

They look wonderful Sarah! I keep wanting to try the recipe you posted a few weeks back (cinnamon rolls without the yeast) and considered making both to do a comparison, but ran out of time. Maybe I can try the other next week! And I loved the sauce too- the maple syrup was delicious in it!!

Your rolls look awesome. I didn't go with my gut and left mine in there longer than necessary and they burned. I will be making them again for sure because I liked the flavor on the one bit that wasn't burned on mine but I will check out the recipe you gave for a more traditional cinnamon roll.

The buns look great! Ooh, apples sound like they would be amazing with the sticky sauce, excellent idea! So far I've had very positive experiences with the BBA book, so I think I will take your suggestion next time I want cinnamon rolls.

WOW Sarah, what beautiful buns you have! That is such a FABULOUS idea to add apples to the dough. One of my very favorite recipes is an Apple Spice Challah that I make annually for the Jewish New Year. It is SO good, so I can only imagine what your sticky buns tasted like- HEAVEN!

Hope you're doing well, and I look forward to hearing from you soon... definitely after our pumpkin themed postings (if not before)! Have a great rest of your week!